


Fright Night

by bookwyrmling



Series: xxxHOLiCHalloween Week 2015 [1]
Category: xxxHoLic
Genre: Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 16:36:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6712708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwyrmling/pseuds/bookwyrmling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuuko’s interests were varied and random.  Apparently the western holiday of Halloween was one of them.  It was just too bad that Yuuko’s interests tended to threaten Watanuki’s dignity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fright Night

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 1 of the Tumblr xxxHOLiCHalloween Week.
> 
> Prompt: Costume

“I don’t see why we have to dress like this!” Watanuki complained from the other side of the shoji, “It’s not like we’re in America or something.”

“Ehhh? But it’s fun, isn’t it?” Yuuko called from outside with a snigger, “Hurry up and come out, Watanuki! It’s time to play!”

“Time to play!”

“Time to play!”

Watanuki sighed at Maru and Moro’s calls as he looked down at his outfit one more time before surrendering. It was just another one of Yuuko’s whims, after all. Really, what was the point of getting dressed for Halloween? Watanuki had never even seen anything for it outside of a few movies and shows he had managed to find time to watch upon Himawari’s recommendations.

“If you’d just told me, I could’ve found my own outfit,” he grumbled all the same as he slid open the shoji with a tick in his eyebrow. At least no one but Yuuko would see, he told himself. At least Doumeki and Himawari-chan would not see.

The hallway was empty and dark when he stepped out into it and annoyance quickly turned into confusion as Watanuki looked up and down the corridor. He could have sworn he had heard them outside only seconds ago, but the place appeared deserted now, with not even a single light on.

“Yuuko-san?” Watanuki called out, taking a couple steps down the hall. He froze, however, when he heard the floor creak. No matter how hard he looked, however, Watanuki could see nothing in the hallway and yet he could not help but feel like he was not alone.

There was something there. In the darkness. It watched him and he could feel a shiver run up and down his spine.

“Y-Y-Yu-Yuuko-san?” he called out once more, this time with far less confidence. His heart pounded in his chest and, no matter how hard he tried, Watanuki could not slow his breath.

A slither of fabric against wood floor came from one end of the hall.

Two thuds came from the other.

“Yuuko-san! This isn’t funny!” Watanuki called out again, near tears at the terror building in his mind, constricting his chest, clogging his throat. The dragging sound was getting closer and, in the other direction, Watanuki could swear he saw two figures hopping in his direction in the shadows.

Why? Why was there something in the shop? Wasn’t it supposed to be safe here?

His chest seized when, while watching the two hopping shadows, a cold, thin hand wrapped around his ankle. Looking down, Watanuki could now see flowing black hair pooling around the floor and out of a white yukata.

“Hiiii!” he cried out as something blue glowed next to it, kicking his captured leg, trying to pull himself free, until he lost his balance and crashed to the ground.

The creature dragged itself closer, elbows bent, long hemline dragging across the floor. No feet! He realized. White yukata, long and wild black hair, glowing blue hitodama, no feet! It was a yurei!

And, all the while, the two hopping creatures grew closer behind him, thuds growing louder with each consecutive hop, though Watanuki’s attention was focused far more on the one crawling up his legs, raising its head, face hidden through falls of black hair. It gave out a low moan, the hair started to fall away to reveal pale skin, delicate features. “Waaataaaanuuuukiiiii,” it called and Watanuki’s jaw dropped in a silent scream as the last of the hair fell away to reveal blood red lips holding onto a singular strand and dead, red eyes staring at him, ready to consume him.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The pounding of feet sounded as people came running from the front of the shop and lights flew up and down the hall.

“Watanuki-kun, what happened!”

Himawari-chan? What was she doing here? It wasn’t safe! He was being attacked! The hand on his ankle-

But there was no more hand on his ankle.

Watanuki perked at that realization and drew the courage to look around once more, throwing himself against the wall he was backed up against as the yurei came into sight once again only for it to break down into laughter.

Familiar laughter.

Very familiar laughter.

“It’s the perfect Nobita face!”

Watanuki’s jaw ground and shoulder’s shook as he jumped back up onto his feet and pointed down at the white-robed spirit. “Yuuko-san! I can’t believe you! What did you even do that for? I thought something really had gotten into the shop!”

But his rant went unnoticed as Mokona jumped up onto Yuuko’s shoulder and laughed along. The hopping turned into the pounding of more running feet as Maru and Moro, dressed up as Jiangshi, gathered their hands and danced around Watanuki, chanting, “Nobita-face!” “Watanuki’s perfect Nobita face!”

“Yuuko-san picked the perfect outfit for everyone!” Mokona cheered and the blue gem on his forehead shined – proof as to his participation in the prank as the hitodama.

“I did, I did!” Yuuko crowed with glee as she leaned back onto her hands and kicked her bare feet out of the hemline of the extra-long yukata. “If you’re going to do a prank like that, you have to have the perfect Nobita, after all.”

Watanuki’s shoulders shook again as he looked down at the yellow pullover and blue shorts he now sported – he had not worn shorts since he was eight and his long legs and knees looked gangly and awkward – made suddenly perfect sense. While he had recognized the outfit when he had first put it on, it was another thing completely to realize how much effort Yuuko had put into this joke of hers.

It made it all even worse.

Just as he was about to stomp back into the dressing room and change out of it all, however, he remembered Yuuko’s voice had not been the only one he had heard while on the verge of a coronary. Looking down the hall towards the living room, Watanuki caught sight of Himawari in a black dress with fur trim, cat ears peeking out from her hair and a tail hanging down to her ankles.

She was so pretty. And looking at him with concern, a blank-tipped nose and drawn-on whiskers-

“Watanuki-kun, are you sure you’re okay?”

Suddenly realizing his Himawari-chan was, indeed, asking him a question, Watanuki shook himself out of his fawning before smiling brightly at her and running up to her, breaking free of Maru and Moro’s playful songs and dance before the two looked at each other and went back to jumping around with their arms stretched out after Mokona. “Himawari-chan! I didn’t know you were going to be here.” “I’m fine, though!” he promised with a wave, “Perfectly fine~”

“I’m glad to hear! Doumeki-kun and I were quite worried when we heard you scream like that,” Himawari smiled brilliantly and Watanuki continued to do the same until one particular name ground his giggling to a stop.

“Doumeki?” he asked, his earlier smile hidden behind layer upon layer of irritation as he looked over Himawari’s shoulder.

“Oi, Nobita,” the teen dressed in temple priest attire called out from where he leaned against the wall, “Nice shorts.”

“What are you even doing here? Leave! Go home!” Watanuki yelled out at the greeting before turning back around to Yuuko who had stood up and continued to watch in silent entertainment as Mokona continued to dodge the hopping Maru and Moro. “Why’d you even invite him here?” he yowled at the woman while jabbing a finger in Doumeki’s direction.

Yuuko laughed as she flounced past the three and back into the room where she had made Watanuki set up more snacks and drinks than Watanuki would have ever thought her capable of finishing alone. “Well,” she smirked from the doorway as she eyed Watanuki’s outfit, “we couldn’t have Nobita without his Shizuka, could we?”

The following day, rumors abounded about a haunted lot, from which the tortured screams of some poor soul could be heard.


End file.
